Sharpening for beginners

[Jacob]

You've obviously never planed a bit of interlocked grain. Or, puttering away on a piece of beech, doing well, only to have a neighbour pop in to have a bit of B&Q pine "just straightened out"...
I certainly, emphatically, would not use that same set up on mahogany as I would on box wood.

If necessary one can change the angle or set aside any particular planes or chisels if it's a regular thing.
Have done this but by and large sheer sharpness seems to be tops, helped by honing on leather, a little and often, and the magic touch of candle wax on the sole of a plane. Just a quick squiggle can transform performance - on hand saws too especially if doing a bit of hard work like ripping a thick piece down the grain.

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

when I want a really fine edge I have a piece of grey slate that I use to finish with.... gives a nice polished edge
Ideal for those difficult woods where the grain can be all over the place
Years ago I used some iroko , that I had to keep a keen edge on the tools,

 

[Amplidyne]

when I want a really fine edge I have a piece of grey slate that I use to finish with.... gives a nice polished edge
Ideal for those difficult woods where the grain can be all over the place
Years ago I used some iroko , that I had to keep a keen edge on the tools,

I've got a proper slate razor hone here amongst my various stones. It did still have the remains of the box at one time. Must be more than a century old. As you say, it gives a nice polished edge, but I'm not that keen (ha!). It's a bit slow.

 

[AJBaker]

Not much I can add, I'll just mention that in addition to Paul Sellers' videos, I found Rex Krueger has some good tutorials as well. He explains how to sharpen with a guide, and also how to sharpen freehand. He explains rather well what a burr is, and why a rounded bevel works just fine.

Here's what works for me:
- A Sharpall double sided diamond stone.
- A leather strop with a block of green compound (that fit inside the housing of the Sharpall stone, so quick and easy to transport).
- A spray bottle with car window cleaner.
- An Eclipse style honing guide.
- A belt of sandpaper from a beltsander, that conveniently fits around the Sharpall stone and its plastic housing. I add a small wedge to strech the sandpaper over the stone and that gives me an extra rough surface for lapping or grinding out a chip on the edge.

I use both freehand and the guide. I find that both work fine, though the guide is more consistent.

Looking back, a good sharpening stone is the most useful tool I own.

 

[MikeB1972]

Go on then, my tuppence.

I freehand sharpen on, well, diamond or oil stones depending on how long it was since I sharpened them last time.

For someone who hasn't sharpened before I'd recommend using a guide (Cheap one is fine), simply because it's easier to get a consistent edge each time, took me a stupidly long time for me, as a hobbyist, to get a good edge on each sharpen. It's a hobby though, so I had the time.

If you had to sharpen every day I'd recommend freehand, but for hybrid woodworkers or someone who doesn't get that many hours in a week a guide makes a lot of sense, you can always drop it later (or freehand every other sharpen etc). But, unless you really like sharpening, it simplifies things so you can get to the actual woodwork.

Strop after sharpening though (or strop often instead of using stones to touch up chisels and carving tools)

 

[Peter907]

Just wanted to say a massive thank you to @Doug B who came to my house today and sorted out my sharpening problems. I didn't know Doug previously, but he only lives a mile away and very kindly offered to help me out. I understand a lot more about sharpening now, and realise that my chisels were in quite a state, and first needed a thorough fettling with Doug's superb Tormec grinder before moving on to my diamond plates. I have gained the confidence that I can maintain a good edge on my chisels from now on with little effort, and have Amazon delivering a canvas roll bag tomorrow so I don't end up just chucking them around in a tool box and damaging the edges again. After Doug's visit, the advice in the above posts make a lot more sense to me. The YouTube sharpening videos are great, but if like me, you don't have a clue, or even a sound starting point to work from, they are not going give you "the edge".
So thanks again to Doug B and everyone else who replied to my thread.
This forum has some very knowledgeable and helpful members .
No doubt you'll find me starting another thread and asking more newbie questions soon enough .

 

[Fred48]

What a very kind and very generous thing to do @Doug B
Fred